Thursday, May 16, 2013

Goals for the Next Year

On Tuesday I talked about my biggest accomplishments so far during my first year of sewing. Today I want to pledge some of my goals for the coming year, partly to get them straight in my head, and partly for accountability purposes!



Quality over quantity

This is absolutely my biggest goal. I have a tendency to blow through projects rapidly, just to feel like I'm accomplishing something. Right now, I'm working on Thurlows and taking my time with them. It feels odd to go slowly, but I know that I'll end up with a quality item when I'm finished. There's no point in doing something quickly and then going back later to fix my own busted seams and uneven hems. Part of this goal includes finishing my seams well, and I'm happy to have a serger now to help me with that!

Sew something with a lining

In a year's time, the only lining I've put in a garment was the croquet dress for AB. I've noticed that a lot of sewists in the blogging world add linings as a matter of course. I have a pencil skirt in mind for this particular goal, which should be an easy warm up for adding linings to other patterns as well.

"Master" my serger

I put master in quotes because I can't come up with a better word! I have no assumptions that I'll conquer my serger in a year. I'm sure they can be as fickle and unique as sewing machines. But I think you get my point, that I don't want it to sit in a cubby and collect dust. At the very least I should learn to thread it, and the basic stitches like the 3 and 4 thread overlock, rolled hem, and flatlock.

Learn special occasion sewing

This is a goal, but also a necessity. I'll be making a bridesmaid's dress for myself, and a flower girl dress for AB, for a wedding in October. I'm nervous but also excited to create two garments for such an important day, and to work on special occasion techniques that I don't usually implement in a knit t-shirt.

Get better with fit

Sewing with knits so often lets me off the hook on this one, but it's time I got a better handle on proper fitting. I sound like a broken record with this Thurlow thing, but I've been reading about fitting pants and felt totally clueless going into it. I want to expand my knowledge of fitting problems and solutions. Maybe I'll even cut down on the amount of times I hear the dreaded "that looks too big" phrase from my husband!

Make my sewing useful to my husband.

So far, the only clothing I've made is for myself and AB, who isn't old enough to understand/care/give feedback. It feels sort of shameful that I've made all these garments and not a single thing for my husband. I've bought two men's patterns and the fabric for a Negroni shirt, but I was waiting to get my serger before tacking anything for him. It didn't matter to me if I was wearing something with stray threads, but I definitely want him to wear quality items if I'm the one making them. I also hope to learn some alteration skills that will help him out with the clothes he already has. He's an odd size and I would love to take away the annoyance he has when shopping.

So there they are, my 2013 goals laid bare. A year from now I'll check back and see which of these I can check off my list! By the way, I didn't mention too many specific projects, but I definitely want to sew a swimsuit, a pair of jeans, and a coat. What are your big goals this year? A fancy party dress? A winter coat? Spill!

Pssst...looking to sew some swim trunks for your little boy? The Surf's Up Board Shorts pattern is half off today only over at Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop!

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